The battle for Gateway

Chapter 6: Well earned break

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Authors note: I start these chapters late at night and try to get them done by the next day, so please forgive me.

The Sulaco and the others carriers of the fleet dock at what the pilots call the halfway house because it was basically the halfway point between earth and the arse end of space. To give the crewmembers some time off to relax whilst repairs were being done. "Well it's going to take a few weeks for the repairs to be done so don't do anything stupid." Ranma said to he rest of his squadron before they head down to the airlock. "See you in a few weeks." McQuade shouted as Ranma shouted something back as they got into the airlock and went through the tunnel and entered the halfway house and see all the other crewmembers of the rest of the fleet and the soldiers stationed on the halfway house before Rogue squadron disappear into the crowd, meanwhile Nabiki was getting her flight jacket on whilst walking in Ranma's direction and spots him.

"You going to the halfway house?"

"No, I'm going to help with the repairs." Ranma replied.

"Aw, come on you can show me around." Nabiki replied as she put on the old crying trick hoping that it would work.

"Don't work anymore."

"Damn it! Look I didn't want to say this… but I think I'm falling in love with you." Hearing these words stop Ranma dead in his tracks "I remember when you pulled that little stunt in Nerima."

"DAMN IT! I'M NOT LYING!"

Ranma turns round and looks at her and walks over to her and puts his hands on her shoulders and looks at her "look, you'll find someone… me I'm just a fighter and I will always be a fighter." Ranma said as he noticed tears in Nabiki's eyes before he wipes them away for her before she hugs him and Ranma returns the hug. "Just let me get my flight jacket then." Ranma said before he goes to get his jacket from his quarters and returns before putting it on and Nabiki looks at the patch on the right sleeve. "Hey, how come I haven't got a squadron badge?"

"Because you're not a member of any squadron yet, let's go."

They both head for the airlock and through the tunnel and into the halfway house before they disappear into the crowd and Ranma begins to show her around before they go up onto the balcony and got some food while Ranma leaned on the balcony looking at all the people below "so, what was Akane's wedding like?" Ranma asked as Nabiki leaned on the balcony beside him "it wasn't a big fancy wedding, just family and a few friends." Nabiki replied as she looked down and saw the other members of Rogue squadron walking into a bar "not going to join the rest of your squadron in the bar?" Nabiki asked.

"No, last time we did this run we ended up in the brig for a month."

"Ouch." Nabiki replied "hey, isn't that Kasumi down there." Ranma said pointing down to a table and Nabiki looked where Ranma was pointing. "No, couldn't be."

"One way to find out."

Ranma and Nabiki leave and go down to where they think Kasumi or the person who looks like Kasumi is sat "err, excuse me miss..." Ranma said making the person turn round "oh my, Ranma?" Kasumi asked before spotting Nabiki "sis, what are you doing here?" Nabiki asked as she and Ranma sat down at the table. "I'm a medic here." Kasumi replied "what about you and Ranma?"

"We're both fighter pilots, Ranma's squadron leader of Rogue squadron and I just lost my squadron."

Ranma was about to say something when he heard a fight start in the bar that the rest of Rogue squadron were in "please say it's not them…" Ranma said before he ran over to the bar to see what's going on and saw the other members of Rogue squadron in a fight with Alpha squadron from the Altron, a few of the pilots held up McQuade whilst one of Alpha squadrons pilots punches him in the stomach over and over again whilst Whistler started to get up from the floor whilst Jonesy and Ritchie where full on fighting both standing back to back when Ranma grabs the one punching McQuade and throws him over the bar whilst the two holding McQuade up ran before Ranma helped up McQuade before he looks at the others before he motioned for the rest of his squadron to follow him and they leave.

"What the hell happened?"

"Alpha squadron started it, we were just sitting enjoying our drinks when they threw a glass bottle at McQuade." Ritchie replied as he helped put McQuade in a chair whilst Kasumi checks for any major injuries "he's okay." Kasumi said before Ranma started to slap McQuade lightly "hey. Up and at 'em fly boy."

"What?"

"Welcome back to the land of the living." Ranma replied, "somebody get me a bucket…" McQuade said as Kasumi pulled a bin out from underneath the table and passed it to Ranma who passed it to McQuade who took it from Ranma before throwing up in it "oh shit… there go my kidneys." McQuade said before standing up and starting to walk back to the bar before he gets stopped by Ranma and dragged back to the table where the rest of the squadron are and they get introduced to Kasumi when Ranma looks at his watch.

Meanwhile on the Sulaco the repairs started to get underway and the captain visited Ranko in the infirmary "looks like you'll be out of here soon Ranko." The captain said as the red haired woman looked at him and nodded back before the captain left whilst repair crews were working in the corridors as he walks past them before heading back to the bridge and sat in his chair as repair crews work on the bridge. Meanwhile Ranma and company were walking around the halfway house talking whilst heading for Kasumi's quarters, when they get there they find the place clean "still the cleaning freak I see." Nabiki said.

"Oh my, and what is that meant to mean?"

"Come on Kasumi, you know what I mean by that." Nabiki replied as Ranma sat on the floor with the rest of his squadron as Kasumi goes into the kitchen to cook some food "hey, Ranma how do you know this one?" Jonesy asked.

"That's Nabiki's older sister."

"You playboy." Whistler replied, as Ranma looked at her "I am not a playboy." Ranma replied as Kasumi came out of the kitchen with some food before they dig in "god, it's been so long since we've had proper food and not ret packs." McQuade said before he started eating again as Ranma leaves "what's up with Ranma?" Kasumi asked as the others look where Ranma was sat and shrugged their shoulders before going back to eating while Ranma walked around before he sat in a bar and ordered a drink.

Later

Ranma staggered out of the bar and went up to the balcony and leaned on the railings looking down at the lower floor when McQuade walks up and stands next to him "what's wrong?" McQuade asked.

"Nothing."

"Look man, this breaks been long overdue so don't waste it!" McQuade said before he left and went back to Kasumi's quarters whilst Ranma goes over to a table and sits on a chair and beds down for the night when Nabiki finds him asleep in the chair and his feet resting on the table making Nabiki giggle as she sits opposite him and watches him as he gets some sleep before she too falls asleep before Kasumi finds them and puts a blanket over them before she goes back to her quarters and find that McQuade is the only one awake. "Still awake?"

"Yeah, thank you for letting us stay here." McQuade told Kasumi who sat on a chair and took off her jacket and placed it on a table beside her chair "I'm John McQuade, the one curled up in the corner is Andrew Richards or Ritchie for short and the one using him as a pillow is Whistler."

"I'm Kasumi Tendo."

"I take it you've known Ranma for a while?" McQuade asked.

"Yes I have, I take it he told you about the numerous fiancés that his father engaged him to?"

"No, tell me more." McQuade said before Kasumi goes into the details of Ranma's misadventures in Nerima.

R&R